


all of our heroes fading (now I can't stand to be alone)

by shamelesstoaster



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Papyrus Is Not Dumb, Papyrus is a little older and wiser and has much to offer, it may have been manipulation on Flowey’s part but there’s so much potential, this friendship is top tier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 16:28:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21917557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamelesstoaster/pseuds/shamelesstoaster
Summary: Flowey is soulless, ruthless, emotionless. Difficult to get along with and determined to ruin everyone’s lives. A horrible person with no chance of redemption.Papyrus doesn’t think so.
Relationships: Flowey & Papyrus (Undertale)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	all of our heroes fading (now I can't stand to be alone)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carolc24](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolc24/gifts).

> Secret Santa gift! Enjoy!
> 
> Title is from Perfect Places by Lorde, a song about looking for something in endless cycles of meaningless actions. Sort of fits Flowey, right?

Dreams came true and lives were changed forever when the monsters came to the surface, but the one thing that no one could really get used to was Flowey.

He was rude, he was bitter, he was difficult. No matter how patient you were, he would pick a fight with you. It was like he wanted everyone to hate him.

Most of Frisk’s friends were of the opinion that he should have been left Underground. But the kid had been determined to bring him aboveground, much to Flowey’s own dismay. Now he lived in a pot with cheerful decorations, carried around by whoever cared enough to at the time- or was asked to by Frisk.

Anyone else would give up on him. Anyone else would get sick of the arguing and the taunting and the hate. Most had. Sans could barely be in the same room as Flowey, Undyne couldn’t go ten seconds without threatening him with a spear, Alphys was almost constantly in tears when she had to be around him. Even Frisk had to take a break sometimes. No one could take his venom and anger.

Except maybe Papyrus.

Papyrus was ever cheerful and a ray of sunshine to anyone who knew him and appreciated his odd ways. Nothing seemed to phase him, nothing brought him down. Undyne had recruited him to take Alphys jogging weekly, an activity that doubled as almost therapy as Alphys unburdened herself to the supportive skeleton and he in turn gave her some enthusiastic encouragement. He was always busy, always trying to help people, always smiling.

So more often then not, Flowey was passed onto him when no one else wanted to deal with him.

Flowey and Papyrus had history, but even knowing that the flower had been manipulating him for their entire Underground friendship, Papyrus didn’t seem to hold any malice. No matter the taunting, no matter the insults, Papyrus kept on smiling, and doing anything he could for Flowey. He brought him places, he offered him food, he gave him movies to watch when he was too busy to entertain him. 

“You’re an idiot!” Flowey would snarl, trying to get a reaction out of him. “You can’t even tell when people don’t wanna be around you- no wonder you’ve never had any friends!”

And Papyrus only chuckled and shook his head, reaching out to pat Flowey’s petals. The flower had never seen him crack, not since they reached the surface. Not even a sad look in his eye. Nothing to indicate that his words were hitting home. Maybe he just was stupid.

But it couldn’t be as simple as that. Back when he was playing Papyrus, manipulating him into friendship, trying different things and resetting when he was bored, he got to know the skeleton very well. Papyrus had genuinely liked Flowey, and he been desperate to be his friend. He had been open with him, letting his cheerful facade fall on his sad days, telling Flowey the truth behind his bold words and big smiles- he had no friends. He was lonely. He was weird. He didn’t understand social cues, and no one else understood him. Sans and Undyne cared about him, but they also babied him, and tried to pretend they didn’t. Papyrus had never cried in front of anyone besides Flowey. In way, begrudgingly, Flowey had felt special, before he tried to work out a way to use these vulnerable moments against Papyrus. 

Now things had changed. Papyrus had friends, he had work he loved, he was on the surface and he was happy. But he should still have been easy to play with. No matter how much Flowey tried to hurt him, nothing seemed to work. He was getting tired of trying to break that smile.

Because here’s what Flowey didn’t realise. As much as he knew Papyrus, Papyrus knew Flowey just as well. He knew that he had a troubled past, he knew he was manipulative, and he knew that he was in pain. 

Because Papyrus knew what it was like to be lonely and angry and to put on a front. Perhaps he had dealt with his feelings in different ways, but he recognised the signs. And when he had been needing someone to understand, Flowey had been there, even if his friendship had been fake. Now he wanted to do the same- or better- for him.

“You don’t really think all that,” he said confidently, after Flowey had snapped at him again and exhausted himself screaming angrily. The flower gave him a look of contempt, and Papyrus picked up his pot and placed him in the window, where the sun was shining and a breeze was blowing. Then he sat down and leaned his head on his hand, watching the flower with a gentle smile. “You sound very upset, but I think you’re just trying to protect yourself!”

“Protect myself from what? You can’t hurt me,” he spat, but he was finding it hard to stay at the same level of angry when the sun was warming his petals like that. 

“I would never,” Papyrus agreed, knowing he could very well hurt Flowey if he wanted to. Undyne hadn’t called him ‘the toughest monster she knew’ for no reason. “But I think you’re trying to protect yourself from your own feelings.”

“I don’t have feelings, I don’t even have a soul.” He grumbled, turning his face to the sun. 

“You have feelings. You show them when you scream at me or laugh at me or close up because you don’t want to talk.” He tilted his head, watching the flower as he withdrew into himself, looking annoyed. “You know that I know how it feels to be sad and lonely and afraid, Flowey. Maybe more than anyone else.”

“I’m not-“ he started, but he didn’t even have the energy to refute it. His petals drooped and he showed his thorns threateningly when he saw that Papyrus was about to pet him. “Don’t touch me.”

“Alright.” Papyrus adjusted himself in his chair and picked up a book- he was currently working his way through a reading list and he was deep into Jane Austin. “But you know you can always talk to me, Flowey.”

There was only a grumble, and the skeleton went back to reading. All was quiet for a moment, until a flower-shaped shadow loomed over his page. He turned the page to face the flower more and they read in silence, with only the sounds of Flowey’s scoffing in his ear every now and then to disturb him. 

It wasn’t an easy friendship, but it was getting better.

**Author's Note:**

> It’s a hard job. But Papyrus is happy to do it.


End file.
